


The changing world: how it all began

by masticore



Category: The changing world
Genre: F/M, Fairy, Fantasy, Gamelit, Gods, LitRPG, Magic, Pets, Shapeshifter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-06 10:14:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19060597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masticore/pseuds/masticore
Summary: Welcome to the realm of .... , where reality and magic blend into madness. You have a choice of being just another beta tester, struggling to keep your life points out of the red sector in a world where everything is trying to kill you... Or become someone else and defy the gods... and even the game itself





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually start of my book, and I'm planing to post it here possibly all chapters. Actually this will be based on interest of community :)

Prologue

 

Anticipation: at that moment in time my thoughts and dreams, desires and plans, were all mixed up in my head. I sat and looked out of the window. Outside the window there was a living breathing city. Who gave a damn what the city was called? People and cars - everything was in motion. There was a fusion of colors, scents and flavors - things that are more or less accessible to almost everyone. However, I just happen to be one of those who are deprived of all of these sensations. For me there are only two colors: black and white; two tastes: edible and inedible; two scents: I am indifferent to one, and the other one makes me feel sick.  
Who am I? Just an ordinary person who hasn’t been very lucky in life. My name is Dave. I am 35, I work from home, and only from home, as an analyst. I am unique in the world, as I have a gruesome incurable disease with some unpronounceable name. However, today, perhaps I might finally begin to experience all the things that my illness has deprived me of.


	2. Chapter 1: Chance

I'm deeply engrossed in the analysis of a completely new innovation in the gaming industry. The Okkama Company announced the creation of a new computer game that enables the player to become completely immersed in it. The program developer promised that any person, even if they happen to be blind or deaf, can experience their lack of feelings by immersing themselves inside the world of the game. The developer also ambiguously hinted that the feelings may be even more intense than those experienced by a normal person.  
The news quite literally took the whole world by storm! There was chaos on the stock exchanges, so I found myself snowed in with work. I had enough orders to keep me going for at least a year. Although I cannot describe myself as the top analyst in the world, I'm still pretty well known in my field. I prefer not to communicate in person: I have a ton of competitors who would be happy to see me gone. I also have plenty of enemies, because as a result of my work, a lot of conspiracies have been thwarted and innumerable scams have been stopped in their tracks. So the fewer direct contacts I have, the better. However, if someone wants to contact me, someone that I respect or admire, I will gladly agree to communicate with them.  
Once again, a call came through: my communications program tracks all the calls that come to my address and a small window pops up, giving me full information about the caller, even though that isn’t what it was originally designed for. As soon as I have agreed to take a call or if I call someone else, one of several thousands of computers scattered around the world does this for me. All my communications are transmitted this way. It in turn uses hundreds of other computers and constantly changes the flow of information, passing it on in an absolutely random order. Of course, the program has all sorts of protection, encryption and God knows what. For me, the program is priceless, because it allows me to make decisions promptly: who I need to answer immediately, and who I can call back later.  
Without thinking, I looked at the information window on my computer: the caller was from the Okkama Company. You can safely say that I was surprised! I told the program to answer the call without a second’s thought.   
“Good afternoon, Dave,” she said. She was a very beautiful Japanese woman, dressed in traditional oriental blue robes embroidered with flowers and birds. She introduced herself: “My name is Ayano; I'm Kiyoshi Akiyama's personal secretary. Perhaps you are familiar with the name?”

Of course I was familiar with the name: it was name of the man who was behind the Full Immersion project, and the game was created under his leadership.   
“If you have no objection, then I'll put you through to him now.” Without waiting for my reaction, I was connected to the person that everyone wanted to talk to right now: from journalists to the owners of corporations. I suspect that even the presidents of some countries would drop important matters of state for the sake of such a conversation.  
As far as I knew, Kiyoshi very rarely communicated with someone personally outside of work and family. You could practically count his appearances on TV on the fingers of one hand.   
“Good day, Dave. I'm sorry; I do not know your surname.”  
An elderly Japanese gentleman was looking at me via the monitor. Kiyoshi was dressed in casual clothes: in a monochrome black sweater and jeans. If I saw him sitting in a cafe or walking around the zoo, I would never have believed in my life that he was the head of the richest corporation around at the moment, as a result whose innovations the entire stock exchange had literally been turned upon its head.  
"Good day to you too, Sir,” I replied in response. “It's no surprise that my surname doesn’t appear on the Internet. When I started out as an analyst, I created my profile from scratch and did not mention it anywhere, in the interests of remaining completely anonymous.   
“That was a very clever decision. These days, few people realize how much personal information can be gleaned from the Internet,” the businessman smiled. “However, I don’t pay my analysis department and security service a lot of money without reason. So, I apologize in advance, but some information came to me. We have searched for people that would benefit in their recovery from the game that we have created, and who know how to safeguard their identity. So you, as an absolutely unique individual, appeared on our radar for both reasons. Our analysis department reported that the only chance that you would agree to our proposal would be in the event that I contacted you personally.” You could say I was in a state of shock, but it lasted only for a moment, after which my curiosity took over.   
“I'm all ears.” Apparently my curiosity was noticeable even through my avatar, which amused the person I was talking with very much.   
“I am aware,” Kiyoshi began, “that you are fond of fantasy books and like popular online gaming. I also know that several interesting programs have been developed for your personal use and one of them calls out colors to you when you hover your mouse over a particular subject. I also know that you are an excellent stock exchange analyst who can quickly give advice, make a recommendation, or even propose a strategy for the development of a company from practically any industry. I understand that it is useless to offer you money and fame. However, I wish to offer you something that no one else can offer you: a world full of feelings and colors, unforgettable adventures and most importantly - the hope of a cure.”


	3. Chapter 2: The Conference

After selecting one of my anonymous avatars, I entered the data and joined the videoconference, so that the rest of the participants in the videoconference could not see me, but rather the avatar chosen by me. The avatar behaves exactly like me, waving his hands around, mimicking my speech and display of emotions. He has his own name and his own history on the Internet. No program can track the real me or paint a portrait of me.  
The participants in the video conference appeared in the program as if they were seated in a concert hall. Gradually the hall filled up. As soon as the last spectator had taken his place, a young Scandinavian looking guy appeared on the stage.

“Greetings to all of those gathered here together! To make it simple for us to communicate, just call me Sam. I'm one of the creators of the Game, and the only person who is currently allowed to talk about the game. You all signed agreements prohibiting the dissemination of any information, including the name of the game, outside of this conference. In the case of any violation, you and those who receive the information will face lawsuits and many other unpleasant consequences. If anyone doesn’t agree to these terms, then I advise you to leave right now.” Sam looked around the room with a piercing gaze. A wave of indignation swept through the hall, but no one left.   
“I'm delighted that everyone has stayed.” Sam smiled disarmingly in a somewhat childish manner. “So then, the working title of the game created by our corporation is ASTAT. I don’t believe that many of you know what this word actually means. In fact, it is very simple: this is the name of the most unstable element in the world. The name was chosen for a good reason: the world inside of the game is constantly changing, and the players themselves will constantly make changes to the game. Believe me: these are not mere words. The player is able to create new scenarios, breed new kinds of plants and creatures, and build everything from a chair to a palace. The players are also able to create new quests and new locations. All this will be limited only by your abilities, the availability of the right tools and your imagination.”

A roar of approval passed through the hall.   
“All of this and much more.” Sam winked from the stage. “All of this is possible with the development of certain abilities and talents. By the way, as I have already said, you can learn almost everything in the game for yourself. Of course, you can find a mentor, and he will explain and show everything in detail, but if you don’t have a mentor holding you by the hand, then just try to find your way around the program by yourself.” “There is yet another aspect to the game: the features in the game only grow through action and training. The main thing is that we decided to completely abandon the system of levels, so, you will need to find different ways to evaluate your progress.” “Another fact, which these days is being very vigorously discussed in all of the world’s mass media, concerns the fact that artificial intelligences control the game, and this is actually true. Everything from the behavior of NPCs (non-player characters controlled by artificial intelligence and not the gamer), ending with the creation of new chains of quests, which is the work of iSkins. They can also expand the game world and organize global events. Most likely, you also heard the corporation's statements about the sensations and feelings available in the game. So, all this is true. Even those who are unable to feel certain sensations in life will be able to feel the whole spectrum of known sensations and much more in the game. Pain and orgasm are not exceptions.”

At the mention of orgasm the mood in the hall brightened up a little. Realizing that Sam had finished his presentation, the hall literally exploded, followed by questions and exclamations.  
Sam waited until the hall calmed down, and continued:   
“I am not authorized to give out any more information than I already have. All of you have been selected, because you meet certain requirements, so you can participate in the closed beta testing of the game. The testing itself will last a year in real-time, which is the equivalent to three years in the game. After the first year of the game, a second larger group will be allowed to participate. The following year the game will be available to everyone. However, you personally must remain in the game for another year. You will have a connection with the real world, and access to the game forums and sites dedicated to the game. Yes, okay, calm down now!”  
Sam put a stop to the growing murmur. “Due to the fact that our technology is analogous to what people see in a dream, time in the game travels three times faster than in reality. Once again I want to emphasize: becoming a beta tester, means that you cannot leave the game for three game years, and within two years you will no longer have any communication with the outside world. However, later when the game is officially released, your characters will have an advantage of two years development within the game. How much or how little will depend solely on you. Trust me, even those who invest millions in the game will not be able to develop their characters quickly, so they will only make the game easier for themselves.” “With a certain situation in the game, you can still lose the rank of beta tester, so before the game officially becomes available to everyone else, you will have to remain on company premises without contact with the outside world. Oh, and that’s not all! After the official opening of the game, the corporation will allow the exchange of virtual money for real currencies and vice versa. So, in terms of your material benefits, this proposal is also very, shall we say, sexy.”  
A roar of approval passed through the hall. It seems that most of those present were professional players and understood perfectly well what the 2-year handicap for an online game of this standard meant.  
“This concludes our conference. You will all receive a letter with the name of the game in the title. If you agree, you just need to answer “Yes”. If you decide not to participate, just ignore it. The following day all participants will be collected by car at the same time. Thank you for your attention and I hope you all agree to participate in the beta test.”  
Sam left, and the others also began to leave the conference. Eventually I was the only one remaining. All that Sam had said was, of course, interesting, but I had already decided to become a beta tester beforehand. For me the opportunity to experience colors and tastes had been my dream from a very early age. So for the sake of making my dream a reality, I was prepared to do almost anything, even spend the whole of next year sat inside a virtual world.


	4. Chapter 3: Rebirth

I was brought to one of the secret centers, where I was told that apart from myself, there were a further ninety-nine beta testers there, and the rest were scattered in similar centers around the world. After a huge number of tests and analysis, which lasted for several days, I was finally admitted to the gaming capsule.  
When I saw it for the first time, it seemed to me that this was just a great bed: a soft feather bed with a jelly-like pillow, and everything literally adjusted to the contours of my body. However, once I was stretched out in bed, I was covered with a dome, and the entire structure was filled with some kind of dense gas. Strangely enough, it became even easier to breathe, and I no longer noticed what it felt like to be in a new place.

I was in a stone cave, the walls of which were illuminated with multicolored flashing lights, but it was not clear where they originated from. And then it hit me like an electric shock: the flashing lights were in color! I realized that I could see in color! Until that very moment I did not believe that I would ever be able to see in color! Well, if what I had been told about the other senses turned out to be true, then I intended to stay in this game until I could see and feel all the same sensations as people in the real world. Kiyoshi told me that it was possible that my illness could be cured, but he had no idea how long I'd have to stay in the game.   
“Good day, Newcomer,” the deep voice sounded as if the speaker was right in front of me.  
I tried to see it, but I saw only a wall decorated with colorful ripples.   
“Do not try to see me,” he said, guessing my intentions. “It can’t be done.”  
I had already come to my senses and so I concentrated: I only have one opportunity to create a character, and then have to live with him for at least 3 game years, so I will restrain myself and bite my tongue.  
“Greetings, Cavemaster,” I smiled in a friendly way.   
“What is your name, Newcomer?”  
“Call me Marten. That will be my name in this world.”  
“It's a very interesting name,” the voice said thoughtfully. “In the world that I will open for you, names and titles have a special power. Satisfy my curiosity, Martes: what does your name mean back there, and where did you come from?”

What a strange character, I thought: it created the impression that I communicated with a living being. It seemed that the AI played out the role of living beings just brilliantly! If this was the case, then I needed to communicate very carefully with all the NPCs.   
“With pleasure,” I smiled again into the void. “This is the name given to a type of small and very fast animal.”  
“Ha!” The voice responded cheerfully. “I believe that if I am not mistaken, they may be small but they are still predators, which are quite dangerous even for larger animals.”  
“That's right,” I agreed.   
“Thank you, Marten, you have fulfilled my request. For this you will receive a small gift from me, but you will need to find out for yourself what kind of gift it is. Perhaps this will only happen when you become stronger. So, whether you can use it or not, depends only on you. Right now I'll give you a piece of advice: do not say disclose your user name, and do not list your abilities to anyone other than those in whom you fully trust. Actually, it’s better not to tell them either, if you can avoid it. Better not to give out your real name either.”   
“So, what might happen ...”  
The voice interrupted me, without even letting me finish the question.   
“I will tell you no more. Let's begin, Newcomer by the name of Marten. Choose a color.”

What a strange way to create a character, I thought to myself. Why not create a new race? Or would that affect my avatar’s appearance? Well, it seemed that I was not going to get an answer to my questions, so I would choose from what was on offer.  
A whole palette of colors appeared before my eyes. It was so beautiful that the amount of choice made my head spin! I do not know how I long stood in admiration, but the voice continued to wait patiently for my answer. Eventually, I chose the color that had attracted my attention from the very first second. As soon as I made a choice, the palette disappeared, and above the selected color appeared the inscription “sky blue”.  
Wow, so that's the color of heaven! I was in a state of excitement, and I was so delighted by the beauty of the color, that I forgot to confirm my choice. I came to my senses a couple of minutes later, and confirmed that I had chosen the color sky-blue.   
“Thank you,” the voice said. “Would I be right in saying that for you to see a color is something unusual?”  
“That's right,” I sighed. “Where I came from, I was unable to distinguish colors, tastes or smells.”  
“I see.” There was sympathy in his voice. “Then I will use my privilege and give you one ability that will be very useful to you. Do not be afraid: this is provided for by the rules of this world. This ability was designed exclusively for the sake of people like you.”

“You are hereby given the ability to sense “Three Senses”, Grand Master level (max).  
Smells, colors, tastes, their meanings and definitions will become an open book for you.”

“Now choose at most three qualities that are most important for you. Take your time.”  
Clouds appeared before me within which names of different qualities floated around. As soon as my mind lingered on one of the inscriptions, the name of the quality increased in size, and similar alternative qualities appeared around it. They had both positive and negative aspects. Seeing some strange word that was unknown word to me, I regretted that I did not know it’s meaning, but immediately a detailed description appeared.

Empathy is a conscious ability to experience the current emotional state of another person without losing the sense of the external origin of this experience. An Empath is a person with a developed ability for empathy.

Thank you, it's not for me, but it's still very interesting ... If I start from the logic of the game, then, by choosing only one quality, I will receive one hundred percent to this quality and by choosing two – it is most likely that this would be divided equally between each of them. After a moment's thought, I chose two: “Resourceful” and “Fortunate”. Now I faced a difficult choice: I did not know what attributes the qualities I had chosen would give to me. Would it be worth taking a third one, or not?  
“Excuse me, can I ask a question?”  
“I'm sorry, but I cannot answer any more of your questions,” the voice sighed. “These are the rules of this world, and I do not have the right to violate them.”  
Okay, I have made a decision: I singled out “Creative” and told the voice that my choice was made.   
“An interesting combination,” the invisible voice said thoughtfully. “Let's see which one is the right choice for you.”

I was shocked: these were not the characteristics that would be given to me, but merely the parameters for making a choice! I would like to punch however invented this rule! Next, the silhouettes of five patrons appeared in front of me.   
“Here is the list of patrons who are suitable for you. I advise you to think seriously about your choice,” advised the voice sharply.  
The invisible voice seemed to be amused by the situation and my mixed reactions. It was easy for him to make jokes, because he wouldn’t be the one that has to run around inside the game for the next three years having made my choices. Okay, let's take a look at what’s on offer.  
I looked closely at the first patron offered to me. It looked like a sphere poured in dark blue shades. It seemed that it was constantly on the move and incredibly full of life. Wishing to know more, I received additional information:

The Spheric - appreciates the fortunate and quick witted. Provides help in specific difficult situations. It has a playful character and likes to joke around.

With such a patron you don’t need any enemies, for sure. I moved on to the next one on the list. He was a strong chap, somewhat reminiscent of Hermes, only his wings were on his shoulders. He had a predatory expression.

Avolic – a shape shifter that appreciates resourcefulness and brutal decision making. Helps in shady transactions, political games and deceptions. Sly, it has outstanding fighting qualities.

Again not for me! Are there no good patrons here? I switched to the next one. Surrounded by shadows, it was an almost invisible silhouette of an anthropomorphic creature. It exuded an impression of strength and undisguised arrogance, confident in its invincibility.

Sokt - the treacherous patron of murderers and thieves. It helps only in matters of the dark. Arrogant, cunning and cruel.

What choices am I stuck with? I thought that I had chosen such positive qualities, and so far the patrons are thieves, scammers and murderers. If the remaining two are like that, I will have to settle for having an evil character, although I do not like to do that. So, I looked at the penultimate figure. I saw a strange old man staring at me: in his eyes there was a cunning intellect. Apart from that, he twisted around his walking stick playfully, without slowing down for a second.

Vostrukh - the patron of the capable and quick-witted. Helps those who, in his opinion, deserve it. Sly and cunning, with a strong mind.

Ha, now things are getting interesting! If the last one is no better, then I will stick with Vostrukh, as he is at least the best of a bad bunch. So, to the last one. I was looking at a self-confident creature that looked a little like a fox. Both paws juggled gold coins back and forth, without pausing.

Trickster – patron of those who go through life on their own terms and against the accepted norms. A dodger and prankster, for who the very process of experiencing life is the most important thing.

Sorry, Vostrukh, but Trickster is much closer to me in spirit.   
“I have made a choice - it's Trickster,” I told my invisible companion.   
“Hmm ...”  
I got the impression that the disembodied voice was surprised by my choice.   
“Forgive me,” the owner of the voice gradually came to himself. “To be honest, I was 100% certain that you would choose the reasonable Vostrukh, and not such a mischievous person as Trickster. But your choice is sacred for me and for this world.”   
The last phrase sounded a bit strange, or at least it seemed so to me.  
After a second’s hesitation, the voice turned to me again.   
“We're almost done. Knowledge and abilities are a treasure chest of values for every living entity. The world allows every Newcomer to take away with them the best pearl from their collection of treasures. Marten, what of all that you know and are capable of doing, will you bring with you to this world?”

I did not even have to think long about it: a quick and profound analysis of facts and situations is what has fed me all these years. If I wanted to take something into the game, then that's what it would be.  
The voice politely waited for my answer, and this time for a change I did not keep him waiting.   
“I choose my analytical ability,” I told my invisible companion.   
“Let it be so!”  
It seemed to me, that there was again a note of surprise in his voice, but I did not have time to think this over.   
“I dare not detain you any longer. We'll meet again a little later, but for now, farewell.”

The cave was gone, and without noticing how it happened, I now found myself on a small hill in the middle of a magnificent meadow. The number of flowers and scents literally intoxicated me. So many new sensations! For me, this was a paradise. I seemed to have lost my mind: jumping, running, and tumbling over. I moved from one plant to another and sniffed each of them. Some plants I even tore off and tasted. On the edge of consciousness, I noticed some messages, but did not pay attention to them: feeling like I could read them later.  
Without noticing how it happened, I found myself outside the meadow. A beautiful mixed forest, with a lot of different trees, such as oaks, spruce and pine, stood ahead of me. I enjoyed exploring every branch of every tree.


	5. Chapter 4: Getting to know the world

I was ready to go deep into the forest. I thought myself: I do not have a class and I don’t know any fighting techniques. I'm weak as a newborn baby, and moreover, I am unarmed and unprotected. I was aware of this, after examining the style of my clothing: unfortunately, both garments offered zero protection. It seemed to me that it would be better for me not to leave the initial location for some time. I have always been quick to make decisions, so I decided to start exercising right away. I started with the simplest exercise: I did 10 push-ups, but on the 10th push-up I received a message.

Level of Fatigue: 10/10, you are exhausted.

I told myself that if I couldn’t do anything more, then I should take another look at my attributes. As soon as I thought about this, the system brought up a data screen for me, and I immediately asked for the most detailed information.

True Name: Marten.  
Name in the world is: Dee.  
Race: Newcomer.  
Path: not selected.  
Class: not selected.  
Skills: not selected.   
Professions: not selected (3 available).  
Basic characteristics:   
“Strength”: 1 - the ability to carry up to 1 kg  
(Parameter of 10 * to the “Strength” agility). Affects many actions, including attack;   
“Agilities”: 2 - evasion from physical attacks and throwing weapons 0.2% (Parameter of 0.1% * “Agility”). Affects many actions, including the chance of striking a critical blow;   
“Stamina”: 1 - the life energy of the character 10 lives (Parameter of 10 * “Stamina”). A affects many actions, including those taken into account in resistance;   
“Intellect”: 1 - the magical energy of the character 10 manna.  
(Parameter of 1 *“Intellect”). Affects many actions, including magical damage;   
“Attentiveness”: 1 - gives a chance to notice something invisible, a chance (hidden).

Abilities:   
“Herbalist” (1%), Beginner level. Confers ability to see names, determine scope and collect better quality herbs, mushrooms, roots and berries.

No surprises there: a minimum amount of information and the rest was a mystery. The program was written so that a player could find his way around by himself. That was even better, as far as I was concerned. I do not like it when everything is done for me. I prefer to be spontaneous and to experiment.   
Also, as it turned out, I had something like an invisible bag with a capacity of 50 items, but the only thing in the bag so far was a jar of red liquid. The inscription on the label read: “mild medicinal drink restores up to 100 life points”.   
I did not think about what I was doing. I tried to grab it with my hand, without really knowing where the bag was, and somehow I managed. How clever to come up with such an idea. It's good that I managed to locate it, as it appears that this was part of the knowledge that the fairy in the initial location was supposed to give to me, but that was now no longer available to me. Well, it’s not the end of the world, I’ll figure something out, and I’m not a kid anymore.  
At this point, the level of fatigue showed zero. So I repeated another 10 push-ups, and received a bonus as expected.

Your “Stamina” has increased: +1 (2).

Immediately after this, the level of fatigue went back down to zero. I did not even get up, but continued doing push-ups. I spent several hours alternating between push-ups and thinking about my future plans. During this time my “Strength” increased by 3, reaching a level of 4, and “Stamina” received an additional 3, reaching a level of 5. If I continued to do only push-ups, then soon I would be having nightmares about them. I needed to diversify my exercise regime somehow, and I certainly didn’t want to go back to doing push-ups any time soon. During the push-ups, I decided that the best thing to do would be to walk around the outskirts of the initial location in the forest. So, firstly, I could begin to get used to this world, and secondly, I definitely wouldn’t get lost.  
Sticking to my well thought out plan, I went deep enough into the forest, so that I could still see the meadow that was the site of my initial arrival location without straining my vision, and I began to circle around it.  
I can’t say that walking through the forest was easy going. I was constantly being caught by branches and stumbling over tree roots. Many of the bushes were spiky.  
My “Life” level was somewhere around 35 and it hadn’t had enough time to reach maximum.   
For the first couple of hours, I was just walking through the forest. I enjoyed every moment, discovering new smells and studying the colors that I liked most. Thanks to the "Three Senses" ability given by the Voice, I saw and felt the definitions of colors and scents. It was not entirely clear to me how it worked, as there were no captions, I just knew anyway. For instance, which scent smelled sharp, or that something was a deep red massak color.   
During my exploration, the only thing I found was four beams of a strange plant the color of a bog, structurally reminiscent of moss. This raised my “Herbalist” ability by 0.5% (1.5%). That was my only success.  
Deciding to speed up a little and therefore to pump up my “Stamina” and “Skills”, I went on a light jog, for which I immediately paid a price. I tripped over a very large root at full speed, and I smashed my forehead against a big tree, something like a maple.

You have received damage: -15 Life points (down to 20).

Enough is enough! This does not feel like a game at all, it's all quite like life in the real world. I was angry with myself; everything I was doing was pedestrian, and not at all productive. I got up automatically and went on my way, gently putting my feet where there were no tree roots, and trying not to get caught up in the branches. Gradually, I got into a rhythm, and continued walking, almost on autopilot. Suddenly a system message appeared in front of me.

You have discovered the “Easy Pace” skill. Your level is Beginner (1).

I stopped for a moment in total surprise. Did the game creators develop skills and abilities for everything that can be learned in the real world, and this is not something limited by class, but can be learned by anyone?   
If so, it fundamentally changed everything. Deciding on the spot to test my theory, I began walking, paying attention not only to how I walked, but also to the amount of noise made by my movement through the forest. About twenty-five minutes later, when I had almost lost hope, a message came up, which I had been waiting for.

You have discovered the “Silent Step” agility. Your level is Beginner (1).

At the same time my “Easy pace” agility received +2 (3). Well, now I was absolutely sure that anything was possible in this world. Kiyoshi, you are a genius! I was in awe at how the dynamics of development had been worked out! I was so inspired by my success and the possibilities of the game that I almost forgot about the threat of being thrown out of the beta test.  
The long forgotten excitement of being a player was awakened within me. Up until now the opportunity to smell scents, see colors and taste flavors, was the most important thing to me. Speaking about taste, it was now evening and I had done nothing to obtain food or find a place to sleep. Without me noticing, dusk had fallen over the forest. There were no stars in the sky, but according to my internal body clock, the first star would appear in an hour or an hour and a half.

You have discovered a new agility: “Internal Body Clock”. Your level is Beginner (1).

So, it would appear that this is one of the additional feelings that we were told about at the conference, and it's a very useful agility. Mentally, I wanted to know what the time was. The system reported that it was now evening. Originally, I was amused by the humor of the developers: so far this was the only agility that I had attained, and that was it.  
I decided to continue on, but on the way I paid attention to finding food and a place to stay overnight. Walking past a certain bush, I noticed a strange fruit on the ground, reminiscent of an acorn, only black and without a hat.

Your “Attentiveness” ability has increased: +1 (2).

Just a little thing, but nice all the same. I picked up the fruit. To my surprise, the fruit was very heavy: putting it in my bag, I estimated its weight to be as much as 200 grams. I wasn’t sure if I was going to eat it, but it could prove useful to me as a throwing weapon. After skirting around all the bushes I could see, I collected eleven more fruits. At the same time, my “Attentiveness” level increased by one point and reached three.  
In search of the plant on which these fruits grow, I began to look at the crowns of the trees surrounding me. On one of them, I noticed a large beautiful lemon-yellow fruit, shaped like a strawberry. I was sorry that I didn’t have a stick to knock it down with. Potentially, this was the first edible fruit that I had come across. So, I pulled out a couple of acorns, took aim and launched them one at a time in the direction of the fruit. The first missed by fifty centimeters, the second was ten centimeters closer. One by one, I threw all my weapons, never once hitting the target. Searching the ground, where the acorns had fallen, I could only find a dozen. I returned to my previous position and continued shooting. This time, the fourth attempt was successful, and the fruit fell to the ground. The system appreciated my success:

Your “Agility” attribute has increased: +1.  
You have discovered the “Thrown Weapon” agility. Your level is Beginner (1).  
You have discovered the “Accuracy” agility: +1.

Picking up the fruit and collecting my weapons, I decided it was time to try my trophy. I cautiously bit off a small piece: a delicious, slightly sweetish fruit. My head felt somewhat dizzy. I had never experienced anything like it in my life.

Your “Herbalist” attribute has increased: +1% (2.5%).  
You have been affected: +10 on the fatigue scale (50 + 10 from the fruit). You have 1 hour.  
Your cravings for food are 90%.satisfied

Wow, it looks like food can have an effect, and it was no surprise that I had started to feel slightly hungry. It appeared that eating in this game is compulsory. I wondered, what about the rest of the body's needs? I don’t need to do anything just yet, but what do I do if I’m desperate? I finished eating my fruit, and I began to look around the trees, for similar trees to the one on which I found it. My reward was to find another big yellow “strawberry” fruit.

Your “Attentiveness” ability has increased: +1 (4).

I was fascinated as to why my agilities were increasing so rapidly. I wondered, would it always be so or only in the initial stages? Most likely, the latter. Well, I would have to wait and see. I began the usual bombardment. This time I knocked down the fruit at the ninth attempt.

“Thrown Weapon”: +1 (2).   
“Accuracy: +1 (2).

This time, no points were given for “Agility”, but you can’t win them all. At least I had another fruit that could be eaten in the morning. After picking up the fruit, I received a message.

Your “Herbalist” ability has increased: +0.5% (2.5%).

Looking closer at the “strawberry”, I realized that now I knew its name and characteristics: Yellow fruit of the forest. It is used in potions and for cooking, and it is edible raw.   
“Well then, yellow fruit of the forest, it’s nice to meet you,” I smiled, stroking the fruit.  
Suddenly I was aware that something had changed, but the feeling quickly passed. I put the fruit into my bag, and continued to stroll around the initial location.   
As things turned out, the meadow, which I had left so unsuccessfully, was on the way out. The rest of the arrival location stretched behind the negligent fairy’s meadow. If I calculated the distances correctly, then with my slow movement I had not yet passed a quarter of the way round.  
Darkness inevitably replaced the daylight, so from being mysterious, the forest became quite scary, even though I knew that I was in a fairly safe location. According to the High Fairy, if I didn’t do anything stupid, then I had nothing to fear. The question was: what is considered stupidity as far as the local monsters go and how bored might they be? With my agility and attributes, I was more like a toy than a threat.

Deciding that I had come far enough for one day, I found a place to sleep. It was a big tree, the trunk of which separated out into three large branches about a meter off the ground, and formed something like a nest. I collected some big, incredibly strong and almost straight burdocks, and I created something like a bed. Then I collected some soft grass which grew nearby, and made a pillow out of it. No sooner had I finished fluffing up my future pillow, when the system sent a message:

You have created an uncomfortable bed.  
You have discovered the “Scout” ability. Beginner level (1%).

How strange. Usually Scouts know quite a lot about this field, so I wondered how this new ability would develop. In any case, it’s a useful ability, and it was good that I discovered it myself, without the need for any instructor.  
Despite a lot of discomfort, I still managed to get settled on my new bed without fear of falling off when I was asleep. Since I wasn’t provided with a sleeping bag, I curled up and covered myself with a pair of hard burdocks. I lay there but could not sleep. Although it was dark now, for me, even in this darkness, there were many amazing and new shades of color. I took in these shades and gave them names, peering at each twig and every crevice in the tree. The smells were also simply extraordinary, and although I could not compare them to something from the real world, in some strange way, every time I caught a scent, I could associate it with a tree, grass or flower.

Attentiveness: +1 (5).

Unfortunately, when this message popped up it disturbed my line of thought, and I couldn’t go back. I was so exhausted psychologically that I don’t recall how I fell asleep.


End file.
